51412 Class 117 Driving Motor Second

Home Railway	Mid Norfolk Railway	Location History	Chasewater Railway Apr 94-May 06
Current Location	Mid Norfolk Railway		Private Site: Titley Junction May 06-Aug 18
Current Status	Under Restoration		Whitwell & Reepham Railway Aug 18-Nov 20
Current Livery	BR Blue (Full Yellow End)		Mid Norfolk Railway Nov 20-Present
Partner Vehicle(s)	51370
Owner	Paul Hughes
Website	facebook.com/groups/1582178358535120
Record Last Updated	1 August 2024
Preservation Modifications None
Preservation Information 51412 was preserved with partner 51370 for the Chasewater Railway in 1994. The pair were one of a very small group of sets that were preserved in the same pairing as they came out of the factory for BR. By 1999 51412/51370 had been repainted into BR Green with half yellow warning panel. The set provided some off-peak diesel services on the Chasewater line for many years. In 2003, 51412/51370 were the star attraction at the annual Railcar Association convention, operating both passenger trips and driver experience runs over the event. In 2006 the vehicle was sold and moved onto a private site at Titley Junction where the station area was being brought back into use under the title “The Kingfisher Line”. The site was not normally open to the public except on selected open days and was essentially a private project. 51412 was split from 51370, the latter having slipped into a poor state of repair and was later sold on. 51412 was repainted into BR Green with speed whiskers. It was then put into service as a loco hauled push/pull vehicle being operated by small industrial locomotives. In May 2018, the new owners of 51370 were at Titley Junction to collect parts removed from their vehicle in the past. During the visit they purchased 51412 with the view of reuniting the pair once again, the vehicle being moved to its new home and restoration base at the Whitwell & Reepham Railway in August. Work to improve 51412's condition started immediately after arrival. Many temporary fibreglass repairs were made to the corroded and holed bodywork, particularly on the drivers side. The remainder of 2018 was spent washing the vehicle to improve its exterior appearance, repainting the cab interior, starting the engines for the first time since leaving Titley Junction and checking many of the features such as interior lighting and heaters. 51412 made a brief return to passenger service in December 2018 when it was used for the railway's Santa Special trains. In early 2019 restoration work included some bodywork and a repaint around the front end and bufferbeam, the windscreen wipers were repaired and overhauled arms fitted to both sides. April saw the vehicle "incapacitated" again as a passenger vessel after a large section of interior had to be removed to gain access to the worst section of cantrail corrosion, in the front passenger saloon on the No2 side. This was very rotten and had to be cut out and replaced, taking some months to complete. This work continued into the next year, with the worst sections being dealt with throughout the vehicle. In late 2020 however the owners decided the restoration would be better progressed elsewhere and 51412 was relocated to the Mid Norfolk Railway for the restoration to continue. The summer of 2021 saw good progress on dry days being made on cleaning down the underframe components, solebars and bogies and repainting into black gloss. In the autumn of 2021 51412 was moved inside the shed at Dereham which allowed bodywork repairs to start in earnest. Much material was chopped out and replaced with the focus being on the cab end and along the drivers side. This work was thorough and time consuming, spreading throughout 2022 with good steady progress being made throughout. At the same time as the usual framework and skin repairs, the relevent sections of roof and bodyside doors were also stripped down, repaired and repainted at the same time. The usual suburban corrosion found along the cant rail sections were dealt with. The process was later repeated down the secondmans side and finally the corridor end. Following almost three years of hard work, by the autumn of 2024 the exterior of 51412 had turned a corner with all welding repairs completed, the vehicle repainted and key items such as cab windscreens and domes secured properly to bring the vehicle up to a water tight state, the exterior restoration essentially completed.
Future Plans Short term plans include making the finishing touches to 51412's exterior before it is moved outside. At this point the focus will be moved across to partner 51370 for it to be brought up to the same standard as 51412. Once this is done, interior restoration and mechanical repairs can be undertaken to 51412 to bring it back to an operating state. The mid term future aims to see a Class 117 2-car set restored and operating at the Mid Norfolk Railway, with 51412 seeing service with long term partner 51370 for the first time in many years. The plan is to represent the vehicle's in their 1970's Rail Blue condition. The long term aspiration is a full original Class 117 3-car set formed 51370, 59520 & 51412.

	51412 looking good in BR blue, its exterior restoration all but complete, 27/7/24. Michael Hughes

	51412 looking good in BR blue, its exterior restoration all but complete, 27/7/24. Michael Hughes

	The front end of 51412 in a grey undercoat to show areas required for filling smooth, 18/9/22. Michael Hughes

	The drivers side roof having been scraped back to bare metal and repainted, 9/9/22. Michael Hughes

	Filler now being applied to renewed areas of body, 3/8/22. Michael Hughes

	51412 at Dereham, showing a vast improvement from 12 months ago, 9/7/22. Michael Hughes

	The rear end of the vehicle, in better condition than the front, during paint stripping and priming with new paint, 28/6/22. Michael Hughes

	Another section between doors reduced to framework, 20/6/22. Michael Hughes

	The untreated bodyside in red oxide compared with the front sections (far view) being worked on, 12/3/22. Michael Hughes

	The fibreglass roof dome removed for repairs, 27/2/22. Michael Hughes

	Body skin removed from the front section of bodyside for framework repairs, 12/2/22. Michael Hughes

	A typical section of cant-rail corrosion that was found along 51412's drivers side, 5/2/22. Michael Hughes

	51412, now undercover at Dereham, having a tower assembled to help with cab roof work over winter, as part of the bodywork repairs, 21/11/21. Michael Hughes

	The class 03 shunting 51412/51370 at Dereham, 20/11/20. Peter Singlehurst

	51412 being loaded at Whitwell for its short trip by road to its new home, 11/11/20. Michael Hughes

	The compact dimensions of the Whitwell site can be appreciated as stock is often very close together. 51412 is parked alongside a box van, restoration ongoing, 4/8/20. Chris Moxon

	The compact dimensions of the Whitwell site can be appreciated as stock is often very close together. 51412's bodyside, restoration ongoing, 4/8/20. Chris Moxon

	The cab front after being stripped back for repainting, 1/7/19. Michael Hughes

	The cab front after a coat of primer following stripping, 1/7/19. Michael Hughes

	Cantrail repairs on the No2 side, 15/4/19. Michael Hughes

	W51412 after some bodywork repairs to the rotten lower corners on the cab front, 4/2/19. Michael Hughes

	W51412 after a thorough clean at Whitwell, 1/10/18. Michael Hughes

	W51412 receives temporary repairs to the drivers side bodywork, 31/8/18. Michael Hughes

	W51412 arriving at Whitwell, 21/8/18. Michael Hughes

	W51412 newly arrived at Whitwell and paired with original partner W51370, 21/8/18. Michael Hughes

	W51412 undergoing an inspection prior to its sale at Titley Junction, 18/5/18. Michael Hughes

	W51412 undergoing an inspection prior to its sale at Titley Junction, 18/5/18. Michael Hughes

	51412/51370 at the Chasewater Railway, 15/5/04.

	51412/51370 at the Chasewater Railway, 15/5/04.

	51412/51370 during a photo stop held as part of the 2003 railcar convention, 12/7/03. Paul Moxon

	51412/51370 during a photo stop held as part of the 2003 railcar convention, 12/7/03. Paul Moxon

	51412/51370 during the 2003 railcar convention, 12/7/03. Paul Moxon

	51412/51370 during the 2003 railcar convention, 12/7/03.Steve Hodgson

	51412/51370 during a photo stop held as part of the 2003 railcar convention, 12/7/03.Steve Hodgson

	51412/51370 during a photo stop held as part of the 2003 railcar convention, 12/7/03.Steve Hodgson

	51412/51370 during the 2003 railcar convention, 12/7/03.Steve Hodgson

	51412/51370 at the Chasewater Railway. Ian Francis

	51412/51370 at the Chasewater Railway, 2/2/99. Stuart Mackay

Interior

	Original steel skin being cleaned down and repainted internally, 6/8/22. Michael Hughes

	Repainted interior steelwork, 16/7/22. Michael Hughes

	51412's cab, drivers side, 4/8/20. Chris Moxon

	51412's cab, secondmans side, 4/8/20. Chris Moxon

	51412's front saloon, 4/8/20. Chris Moxon

	51412's mid saloon, 4/8/20. Chris Moxon

	51412's rear saloon, 4/8/20. Chris Moxon

	The passenger saloons, suitably decorated and ready for 51412's first passengers in a long time, 9/12/18. Paul Hughes

	The newly repainted cab desk, 7/10/18. Michael Hughes

	The front passenger saloon just after arrival at Whitwell, 21/8/18. Michael Hughes